The Twelve Months of Christmas

Susan Lorraine Ward

The Twelve Months of Christmas is the quintessential Christmas store. Opened in November of 2004, it is Greater Moncton's first all-year Christmas specialty shop featuring all the seasonal decorations which make Christmastime magical. Run by the brother and sister team of Carl Hendy and Susan Lorraine Ward, this lovely shop located at 1000 Coverdale Road is well situated in an elegant Victorian house, which lends itself so well to the ambience of Christmases of a bygone era. To enter its doors is to truly enter a Christmas wonderland.

With the largest selection of Department 56 collectibles in South-eastern New Brunswick, The Twelve Months of Christmas carries all six current Christmas villages, including North Pole Village, Dickens' Village, and Christmas in the City. They also carry a large selection of Department 56 ornaments as well as imported glass ornaments from the Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany, with plans to expand into additional lines in the new year including Byers Choice Carollers. Character figurines by Jacqueline Kent of California are a favourite, as are Boyds Santas, and Christopher Radko glass decorations. Watch for plans to highlight other seasonal items at Easter, Thanksgiving, and other yearly holidays that will take effect in the upcoming year. With a full inventory of quaint and unusual items from all over the world, The Twelve Months of Christmas is destined to make your holiday decor unique. For more information, call 855-1212, fax at 855-1310, call toll free 1-888-953-1212, email at info@thetwelvemonthsofchristmas.ca, or check out their website at http://www.thetwelvemonthsofchristmas.ca/. It is certainly worthwhile to visit their lovely shop - it's sure to be a true delight!

East Indian Cuisine by Shashi Varma

Shashi Varma

For an exotic taste of East Indian cuisine, visit the kiosk of Shashi Varma at the Barker Street Farmers Market in Moncton. A special treat to visitors to the Market each Saturday, Shashi's special cuisine includes a selection of homemade foods with a range from sumptuous vegetable samosas with chutney sauces, vegetable-filled pakoras, vegetable bonda, eggplant curry, potato-filled parantha bread, mutter paneer, Biryani rice, masala chick peas, and vegetable koftu.

All freshly made from the finest ingredients, Shashi's exotic menu is much sought after by regulars to the Market, so you have to be early - by 11 a.m., certain favourites are often already sold out! A resident of Moncton since 1974, Shashi has been an integral part of the Farmers Market for the past five years. She has also been giving cooking lessons in East Indian cuisine to groups of interested Monctonians at the YWCA and will be teaching her special brand of cooking at the Technological Institute in the near future.

Both Shashi and her husband, Mohan, are local entrepreneurs, and it is Shashi's business skills combined with her love of cooking that has resulted in this very tasty addition to the Moncton Farmers Market. Want a special exotic treat for your festive table this holiday season? Drop by the Market on Saturday or contact Shashi throughout the week at 384-3902 for special catering for large groups and make your holiday table a truly international one!

The Soap Shack

Kelli Young of The Soap Shack

One of the most interesting kiosks at the Marche Moncton Market on Westmorland Street in Downtown Moncton is The Soap Shack. It's a joy to just stand beside it inhaling all the sumptuous scents of the various handmade products ranging lip balm, body and hand lotions, to a variety of soaps all packaged in an imaginative way ready for your own home use or for gift giving. Using only the finest ingredients, The Soap Shack creates pure soap which is detergent free. Employing only food grade oils in their soaps, the by-product of which is glycerine, so essential to silky, soft skin. The Soap Shack uses essential oils such as lavender, patchouli, and sandlewood, as well as fragrance oils specifically formulated for use in soap and cosmetics with such wonderful scents as lilac, honey suckle, and mango in tandem with olive, palm, and coconut oils, or shea and cocoa butter base oils that make up the soap itself. These ingredients are used in various combinations to achieve a quality soap with a high retention of form and fragrance down to the last sliver.

The Soap Shack is owned and operated by Kelli Young, a delightful and personable entrepreneur from Point du Chene, NB. The Soap Shack is "a tiny, one-woman business, dedicated to providing you with the best in handmade soap products." For a real treat for yourself or for a friend, visit The Soap Shack at the Market and revel in the whimsical logos on their attractively designed labels on soaps with such exotic names as Dreams of Australia, Mango Mango, Wild Thing, Tuesday Afternoon, Crazy for You, and Jamaica Me Crazy, to name but a few. Got a special request? Kelli will be more than happy to try and accommodate you. Drop by The Soap Shack on Saturdays from 7am to 2pm, call 506-531-6637, or email for information at info@thesoapshack.ca, pick up a few bars of Kelli's special soaps, and delight in pure luxury!

Nina Creations

Nina Khosla of Nina Creations

Nina Creations brings the relaxing world of aromatherapy to the Moncton Market Marché each Saturday with a complete line of handmade aromatherapy products. Using only top grade organic oils and cold-pressed vegetable oils, these fascinating products contain no artificial preservatives or colour additives and are made in small batches to ensure optimum freshness. A complete line of facial products include face scrub, hand and face cream, facial toners, and lip balms with such exotic ingredients as lavender, geranium, rosewood, carrot seed, frankincense, and peppermint to name but a few. Roll-ons and perfumes contain sandalwood, jasmine, eucalyptus, basil, cedarwood, and verbena among its varied ingredients. Bath oils, spritzers and massage oils are all carefully crafted to give the greatest relaxation and pleasure in surrounding oneself or one’s friends in the luxury of scent.

Certified aromatherapist Nina Khosla is the visionary behind the small business enterprise. Having gained her certification after intense training in Ontario, she now shares her special skills with fellow Monctonians. Her excellent products can be found at the market weekly and relaxing aromatherapy massages can be arranged at her residence with an appointment. Right now there is a special introductory price for this service. Gathering up your girlfriends for a fun evening of "girl-time?" Host a facial party for a minimum of six people for only $7.00. Nina will show you how to do a full facial – wash, scrub, steam, tone, mask, moisturize, and massage using all natural products by Nina Creations. It’s sure to be fun!

For more information, call Nina at 855-0865, email at ninacreations@hotmail.com or drop by the market any Saturday and discover the healthful benefits of aromatherapy!